Taco Bell Chain’s ‘Mexican Car Bomb’ Menu Item A No-Go For Now
Breakfast tacos with a waffle for a shell might have struck you as a bit odd, but it seems Taco Bell’s parent company, YUM Brands, has even more unusual ideas in mind. One of them, however, will be somewhat delayed in coming to fruition.
Nation’s Restaurant News reported earlier this week that Taco Bell’s senior brand manager, Jeff Jenkins, was leading the company through a project that would create a separate restaurant chain, as an off-shoot of Taco Bell. The new chain, named U.S. Taco Co. and Urban Taproom, would offer a completely different menu than Taco Bell.
Greg Creed, Chief Executive for Taco Bell, explained that while Taco Bell is Mexican-inspired, the new chain’s menu is inspired by American tastes.
For instance, the One-Percenter is a menu item consisting of garlic-buttered lobster, red cabbage slaw, and pico de gallo on fried bread.
Another menu item is the Mexican Car Bomb, a milkshake spiked with beer. However, Bloomberg Businessweek reports that this item has hit a snag that will delay development. Specifically, the first location, slated to open this summer in Huntington Beach, California, has been denied its liquor license.
This seem to throw a wrench in the works for plans of offering beer and taco pairings, and, of course, delays the rollout of the ‘Mexican Car Bomb’ and other beer-spiked milkshakes the chain had promised.
However, it may be only a minor snag after all — Jeff Jenkins explained that the Taco Bell offshoot will simply have two formats. One format will include the taproom, as initially planned, with alcoholic offerings, and the other will carry the remainder of the intended menu items, but leave beer and beer-spiked milkshakes off the menu.
Instead, this first location will offer soft drinks, with such fare as Mexican Pepsi and Olde Brooklyn Soda, in glass bottles. Jenkins says that the planning group has sampled hundred of sodas in the past week to select the ones that will be on the menu for the opening in July.
Some have called the new restaurant chain an attempt to compete with Chipotle Mexican Grill. If that’s the case, lacking a liquor license for some locations could be a genuine problem for keeping up with the competition.
Even so, the odd and edgy flavors Taco Bell’s new offshoot chain promises should be sure to garner some attention, and draw in those diners who like to sample new taste combinations. Would you try a beer milkshake?
